England fined for slow over rate

England have been hit in the pocket for their slow over rate in the Lord's Test.

Alastair Cook's hosts just ran out of time to force victory against Sri Lanka on Monday night in the first of two matches in the Investec series.

A total of 17 scheduled overs were unbowled, by both sides, and some pundits suggested England might have gone 1-0 up after all had they managed to get through their full allocation against tourists who hung on for the nerviest of stalemates with nine wickets down on the final day.

That remains open to conjecture, but there can be no argument with the International Cricket Council's official decision that England did not bowl as many overs as they should.

They were deemed to be just one short of requirements. But the double-whammy nonetheless means Cook will be fined 20 per cent of his match fee, and his team-mates 10 per cent.

Match referee Andy Pycroft made his judgement after taking into account the mitigation of time allowances for interruptions in play beyond the control of captain or players.